Appellate System in New Hampshire

• NCJ Number: 82112
• Author(s): M J Hudson; C L Easterling; D C Steelman
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 70 pages
• Grant Number(s): 78-DF-AX-0021; 79-DF-AX-0082
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; Charles E Culpeper Foundation
• Corporate Author: National Ctr for State Courts
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Technical Assistance Report number 4 in the Appellate Justice Improvement Project

Annotation

This technical assistance report analyzes the appellate court system in New Hampshire.

Abstract

Major topics addressed include general observations, the clerk's office, and transcript preparation. The court is presently operating very efficiently compared with those of other jurisdictions. Based on site visit notations, several suggestions have been developed for making a good system better. These recommendations include the production of an attorneys' handbook to provide practical information which is not available in formal manuals, review of all statutory provisions relative to the disability or retirement of court members, use of appellate settlement conferences, and the installation of a computerized legal research system. Regarding the clerk's office, the report suggests that reception and secretarial functions be consolidated, that case processing tasks be streamlined, and that a courthouse paging system be installed. Salaries should be raised for court personnel to make them competitive with other local offices, and a staff increase should be considered. The New Hampshire Supreme Court should modify its rules and practices governing transcript preparation. The requisition process should be completed on or before issuance of the scheduling order, transcripts should be delivered within 60 days from the date of the scheduling order, and the treatment of transcript extension requests should be revised. Eight footnotes and appended data are included.